Do you want to ensure that your API is functioning as expected? Postman is a powerful tool that can help you proceed with API testing by sending GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE requests, receiving responses, and validating the results. However, Postman imposes limitations with only 5 free flows for users and a restricted collection of runners.
Postman – API Testing Tool
Postman is a comprehensive API testing tool that simplifies creating, testing, and documenting APIs. It provides an intuitive user interface that enables developers to design and test APIs and automate their testing processes easily. Postman also supports collaboration among team members by allowing them to share and version control their API tests and collections.
Why Use Postman for API Testing?
API testing is crucial for ensuring reliability and preserving consumer trust. Its early issue detection and automation conserve resources, allowing teams to focus on innovation. Integration with CI/CD pipelines enables rapid iteration and frequent releases with reduced bug risks.
What is Postman?
Postman is a popular tool for API testing that allows developers to create and execute HTTP requests and test API responses. Postman makes API testing more efficient and effective with features such as request builders, response visualizations, and test automation.
David Demir
How to Test API Using Postman?
Here is a detailed step-by-step guide on testing your API with Postman.
Step 1. Sign up for a Postman Account
The first step is to create an account on Postman. You can create an account by downloading Postman on Windows/MacOS or using the Postman online.
Step 2. Create a New Request
Once you have installed Postman, you can create a new request by clicking the "New" button in the top left corner of the Postman window. Select " HTTP Request" to create a new request.
Step 3. Enter Request Methods, Parameters
Next, you need to enter the details of the API request you want to test. It includes the URL, HTTP methods, and any parameters or headers the API requires. You can also add a request body if required. Creating a GET request for Postman API testing as an example.
Step 4. Send the Request
Once you have entered the request details, click the "Send" button in Postman to send the request to test the API. Postman will display the response in the interface, including the response status, headers, and body.
Step 5. Create a Postman Collection
One of the key features of Postman is the Collection Runner, which allows developers to execute multiple requests in a single run. With the Collection Runner, you can specify Postman variables, set up test suites, and generate reports to track the results of your API testing.
If you want to test multiple API requests, you can create a collection to group them. To create a collection, click the "New" button and select "Collection". Give the collection a name and description to help you remember.
Step 6. Add Requests to the Collection
Once you have created a collection, you can add requests by clicking the "Add Request" button. Enter the request details as before, and click the "Save" button to save the request to the collection.
Step 7. Use the Postman Collection Runner
Postman's Collection Runner feature allows you to simultaneously run multiple requests in a collection. To use the Collection Runner, click on the "Runner" button in the top right corner of the Postman window. Select the collection you want to run, and click the "Start Run" button.
Step 8. Analyze the Test Results
Once the Collection Runner has finished running the requests, Postman will display the test results in the interface. You can see which requests passed and failed and view detailed information about each request.
Top Practices for API Testing Using Postman
If you want to test your APIs more effectively, you need to know the best practices below.
Organize Collections and Environments
Use Postman's Collections and Environments features to organize your API requests and variables. Collections allow you to group related requests, and Environments let you manage different sets of variables for different environments (e.g., development, staging, production).
Use Postman Environment Variables
Make use of variables to store data that may change across different environments or test cases. This promotes reusability and makes it easier to maintain your tests.
David Demir
Write Test Scripts
Postman provides a built-in test runner that allows you to write tests using JavaScript. Write tests to validate response data, status codes, headers, and more. This ensures that your API behaves as expected.
Use Data Files
If you need to send large or complex data payloads in your requests, use Postman's data file feature. This keeps your requests clean and readable.
Document API Requests
Use Postman's built-in documentation feature to generate clear and accurate API documentation. This helps developers understand the API better and promotes consistency.
Version Control
Manage your Postman Collections, Environments, and other assets using version control systems like Git. This allows for collaboration and tracking changes over time.
Practice API Security Testing
Use Postman to test for common API security vulnerabilities like injection attacks, broken authentication, and sensitive data exposure.
Perform Load Testing
While Postman is primarily for functional testing, you can use tools like Postman's Load Testing or integrations with third-party load testing tools to assess API performance under load.
By following these best practices, you can ensure that your API testing with Postman is efficient, organized, and comprehensive.
However, Postman has recently limited their Collection Runner functionality, which has caused frustration for many users who rely on it for API testing. As a result, developers are now seeking alternatives to Postman that offer similar or better features. One such alternative is Apidog, which offers a range of advanced features not available in Postman. In this article, we will explore the advantages of Apidog over Postman and how it can improve your API testing experience.
Apidog: The Best Free Postman Alternative for API Testing
Apidog is a free API testing tool that provides developers with advanced features to ensure their APIs' functionality, reliability, and security. With Apidog, you can create custom test scenarios without limitation, and generate detailed reports. These advanced features allow developers to thoroughly test their APIs and identify potential issues before they reach production.
Apidog also offers a collaborative environment, making it easier for teams to work together on API testing projects. Multiple team members can work on the same project simultaneously, and changes are automatically synced in real-time, reducing the risk of errors and improving team efficiency.
A Step-by-step Guide to Test API With Apidog
Test scenarios are used to run multiple APIs together in an orderly manner to test a complete business process.
Step 1. Sign Up for an Apidog Account
Go to the Apidog website and sign up for a free account or log in with your Google and Github accounts.
Step 2. Create and Configure Your API
Click on the "+" button or "New Endpoint" to create a new endpoint. And then fill out the endpoint path or URL and configure all the details for it, like query and response parameters.
Step 3. Create a New Test Scenario
Click "Testing" in the left menu bar, click the + button in the upper left corner to create a new test scenario, select the directory to which it belongs and set the priority to complete the creation.
Step 4. Add a Testing Step Or Import from the APIs
After entering the test scenario, design the scenario by adding steps to it by importing or adding API request.
Step 5. Run Your Test and View Your Test Results
Click on the "Run" button to run your test. Apidog will send requests to your API and run your test script to check for errors. After your test has finished, click on the "Test Reports" tab to view your test results.
Apart from the steps discussed above, Apidog provides additional features to enhance API testing, including scheduled tasks for API testing and CI/CD integration.
1. Scheduled tasks for API testing: Apidog's scheduled task for API testing feature allows you to set up automated test scenarios to run at specified times. This ensures continuous and consistent testing, with execution results available for review. You can configure task names, descriptions, test scenarios, run modes, and notifications for relevant personnel. Results are accessible on the task's execution results page and notifications can be sent through specified channels.
2. CI/CD integration: Apidog can be easily integrated with widely used CI/CD tools such as Jenkins and GitLab. It allows you to automate your testing process and ensure that your API is thoroughly tested before deployment to production. You can ensure any issues are caught before they reach production by automatically running your test cases every time a new code change is pushed to your API.
Comparison Between Postman and Apidog
Postman and Apidog are popular API testing tools used for testing and monitoring APIs. While these two tools share several similar features and functionalities, they also have significant key differences.
| Feature | Apidog | Postman |
|---|---|---|
| Customizable Test Cases | Allows users to create custom test cases tailored to specific API requirements. Users can create complex test scenarios (including edge cases and error handling) to ensure thorough API testing. | Does not support the use of customizable test cases. |
| Load Testing Capabilities | Supports high-traffic simulation, allowing users to monitor API performance under stress and identify potential and optimize bottlenecks for maximum throughput. | Does not offer performance testing capability. |
| Open-Source | Supports open-source scripting languages like Python and JavaScript, making API testing customized and automated coding easier for developers. | Only supports Postman's proprietary scripting language, which limits customization. |
| Intuitive User Interface | Apidog has a more user-friendly and intuitive user interface, which makes it easier for users to create and manage collections and test cases. | Postman's user interface can be more complex to navigate. |
| Collaborative Features | Allows users to share collections and collaborate with team members in real-time while tracking and managing test results, making it easy for teams to work together. | Has limited collaboration features. |
| Unlimited Test Runs | Allows for unlimited test runs of collections, making it more suitable for larger teams. | The collection runner has limited test runs that are restricted to the free plan. This can impose limits on larger teams. |
| Pricing | Apidog is free. | Postman offers free and paid plans that provide advanced features. |
| Robust Test Automation | Provides robust testing automation features (including assertions, scripts, and data-driven testing), allowing users to create complex test scenarios and automate API testing workflows effortlessly. | Provides limited test automation features that can be overly complex for executing straightforward tests. |
Conclusion
Apidog is a feature-rich alternative to Postman that offers developers a more comprehensive API testing experience. Its advanced capabilities include creating custom test cases, generating reports, and performing load testing, which provides developers with more flexibility and power in their testing workflows. With its advanced features, Apidog provides developers with a more comprehensive and powerful testing solution than Postman.
Therefore, if you're looking for a tool that offers greater flexibility, power, and collaboration capabilities, Apidog is undoubtedly worth considering as a replacement for Postman.
